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Millions of users log into Facebook, Twitter and various other social media and networking sites daily, from around the world without paying a dime for these services. Very few actually stop and think how they get access to these sites 24/7 completely free to them. Instead, they rely on them to post pictures, talk to friends, etc., without a glitch. The big question is then how do these sites have the money to produce a site that people rely very heavily on to perform at or above par? The answer is through marketing. The social media and other networking spaces allow their users to use their sites for free because of the advertising space that they sell. Because so many people are on their websites a day, they create eyeballs, through their users, to see the various companies advertisements posted on the websites. For example, when one logs into Facebook, there are various companies that have advertisement postings. Because these sites have so many users, it enables more people to see these advertisements, and in turn, more people to click on the advertisement and hopefully purchase their good or service. Through this click on the advertisement Facebook, or the other various networking sites, produce revenue. Therefore, the company gets more eyeballs, the social networking sites make money through advertisement space; and thus, these sites are able to offer their websites 24/7 to their millions of users worldwide at no cost.

Before reading this weeks module, I had no idea how much, who, and when people were following my every click on the Internet. I search various things daily, ranging in all sorts of material and have never really stopped to think about the fact that people are following my every move. However, through this collusion graph, I have come to the conclusion that not only one person, but MANY people are following my every click. When I click on the various circles to find out whom these people are I am shocked by the fact I have no idea who half the websites are. I believe that this weeks module was not only beneficial to myself, but I think this is something that should be more widely shared with every internet user. I find it amazing that things such as cyber bullying can spread through the Internet so rapidly, but things such as how to stay safe on the Internet seems to get “missed”, and not travel nearly as fast. Therefore, this weeks module, and especially this assignment has been a real eye-opener to really think twice, and click once. Moreover, we should really consider what sites we are visiting before searching, and ensuring that we are using do not track in order to help prevent some people from following us.

Due to previous technical difficulties, we were unable to get our YouTube video up and working. However, we have solved all our problems! So Check out your youtube video to see what our final project will look like!

In the last ten years the Internet has changed drastically, one of the biggest examples is through the growth of social media, and the immense amount of daily users that use these various sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. However, with more and more users, which is constantly growing, there are more and more things to be posted, searched and looked at on the internet. I believe a lot of people have a false sense of security that the computer protects them, and they feel as if they have a lot of power as they sit behind a computer screen; opposed to how things use to be with more face-to-face interactions. However, this ‘power’ that people believe they have may lead to certain issues, as there are many changing things on the internet, such as policy outlines that allow for these companies to monitor and track your every step. In fact, many companies Human Resource departments are now using websites such as Facebook as a preliminary screening tool as part of their hiring process. Therefore, one should ask themselves some of the following questions before posting anything to the Internet: Am I positing what I believe in? Is this the best thing to be doing? How would others react to this? With this being said, online etiquette is huge, and many people often forget their manners and what is ‘right’ when it comes to the online world. The following four guidelines can be used to ensure that you put your best foot forward, and ensure a professional, friendly and positive image.

Remember you are the face of your personal brand – Do not post anything you feel that does not line up to what you believe in.

Talk to people on the Internet as you would if you were face to face – Too often people post things online, and say things that they never would in person. This is where a large number of bullying stems from, as people feel as if they are in power behind their computer screen. As a rule, never say anything to someone if you wouldn’t say it to his or her face.

Keep it professional – There are something’s that are fun to goof around with on your free time with your friends, however, some of these things should not be shared with the entire world. If your mom wouldn’t be proud of it, it probably shouldn’t be online.

Whatever you put on the Internet, is very difficult to get off – once something is on the Internet, consider it permanent. It is almost impossible to get anything back off of the Internet, and thus, be selective with which you post.

Hope these guidelines help you in your future endeavors on the World Wide Web. On a side note, this YouTube video shows some ways that improper online etiquette may get you in trouble Social Media Etiquette.

Although I intend to keep this blog going in the future for my own personal use, for the time being it is going to be related to the course I am currently taking at Ryerson University, Digital Skills and Innovation for the Global Economy. I am very excited to share what I will be learning in the class, and of course on my own, with all of you!